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Got a little carried away in a thread on The Firing Line and began to compare the shotguns I've owned, sold and in some cases still own over the past two years. If you're deciding between one of the three guns, or have ever wondered, here's my mileage. Yours, as they say, may vary.
Remington :
Rem870 Express 7 shot "riot" model, 3 different ones. 2 with standard full synthetic stock, 1 w/ Folding Butler Creek protector, factory. Wasn't pleased with any of them, to be honest. They'd do the trick, but all possessed the rough chamber syndrome and the finish felt much cheaper than any Mossberg finish I've owned. Did like the action.
1975 Remington 870 Wingmaster, 2 3/4" only, turned "tacticool". Sold long barrel and furniture to a good home, added Hogue Tamer pistol grip and forend, Tacstar sidesaddle, Remington replacement barrel 18.5 and Choate 2 rnd extension. Sturdier than an Abrams tank, very smoothe action, lovely feel overall,...except it jammed. It locked up solid. Sold it. Coulda been fixed with TLC. I've never had a Mossberg lock up on me. If the price was nice, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another of these.
Winchester :
1300 Defender, 18.5" w/ wood stock and ribbed forend. 5+1 capacity. Loved it, but...action is definitely an acquired taste. Some clal the 1300 "glassy", personally if you're used to an 870 and especially a Mossberg, you'll find the action a bit...tough to get used to. Very reliable, highly pointable and good gun overall.
1300 Defender, 18.5" black matte 7+1 capacity. My ideal shotgun. No complaints or anything I'd change except adding a few accessories and the fact I wish I could add a metal trigger assembly and that the disassembly takes some getting used to.
Mossberg
Mossberg 500, pgo cruiser. Parkerized w/ mossberg pistol grip kit. Gun was terribly reliable and built like a tank. However, the Mossberg brand pgo kit is a piece of feces and the hard-as-a-rock feel will turn your hand into mush in seconds flat, even with birdshot! The ergonomics of it, as far as pistol grips go, is nice, because it allows you to use your thumb to activate the slide release. Others make that harder. Great gun, terrible grip.
Mossberg 590 security, 20" barrel, heat shield, 8+1 capacity. Owned 2. Hated them at first. They have a habit of having the mag tube spring bind up, for one reason or another. This is an easy fix, which I didn't know at the time. Replace that spring and you will have a beast of gun. Went bang each and every time. I could drain all 9 shots in around 4-5 seconds tops. Not a single jam/feed issue after mag spring was replaced. They get smoother with use. Would buy and own again, even in the "cheap" blued and plastic tirgger guard/safety button setup. Fantastic gun and offers insane firepower as far as shotguns go. I am 6'1" and around 290 pounds with hands like a basketball player and I feel the 20" 9 shot setup as it comes factory (re: without reduced LOP/"youth" stock) is beyond the comfort dimensions of smaller indvidiuals.
Mossberg 590 special purpose w/ Ghost rings and matte finish, 20" barrel. Same as above, except I didn't care for the ghost rings and I prefer a heat shield due to my reload methods.
Mossberg 500 Mariner, 20", 7+1. Apparently a discontinued model now. In some ways, my favorite Mossberg I've owned. Sturdy as hell, smoothest action I've had in a Mossberg, zero issues. Seemed to point and handle faster than my 590 special purpose Mariner discussed below. Needed funds and sold. Would buy in a hot second again if the price was right.
Mossberg 590 Mariner, 20" barrel, same as the above 590's except the finish and action were better. I believe the Marinecote really improves the action. If I don't get one of these or another 1300 as my next pump shotgun, it'll be a 590a1 Mariner 6-shot and I'll add an extension.
Mossberg 500 ATP, 18.5" heavy (I think) barrel, 5+1 capacity, rifle sights, old style flat stain wood stock and forend. Made the most beastly rack sound I've ever heard. Literally a Chik-CHAK every time. I believe due to the wood. Great gun all around, not my favorite Mossberg I've had but would trust my life to one provided it'd been gone over carefully and kept up. Age and use is a factor with these guns. I believe it was some kind of South American milcontract gun or something. Regret selling, in a way.
Mossberg 590a1, 8 shot (thanks MAX100 for the great product), heavy barrel and mtl trigger assembly and safety button, 3 dot Glock sights. Um...the last word in a combat pump, in my opinion. Never selling. Only mod coming is a Mesa Tactical 6 rd sidesaddle and a replacement heavy barrel w/ bead sight as I prefer bead to any sight on a shotgun. May change out the Speedfeed set for a Riot Wood set.
Mossberg 500, 18.5", 5+1 with pistol grip Hogue Tamer set. My house gun. Rests against the wall next to my bed, almost out of sight, 5 in the tube "cruiser ready". Dead reliable and brutally fast due to the fact it's been well used and maintained, i.e. "smoothened out". I can empty a tube of standard power 2 3/4" 00 buck fairly accurately at 15 yards (within reason, it IS a PGO) in 3-4 seconds tops. Zero malfunctions, although my old style 6 3/4" forend is rubbing/contacting the barrel slightly. Only mods are a Tacstar sidesaddle, Mossberg brand heatshield, switching out the forend for the new longer style and adding a quality green laser at some point.
all in all, I'm surprised I'm not burn out on shotguns, pump especially. I attribute this to the old adage "you go with what you know". If I'd grown up shooting rifles, maybe I'd be an AR guy. I will say though, I am really wanting a nickel Stoeger sxs...
Remington :
Rem870 Express 7 shot "riot" model, 3 different ones. 2 with standard full synthetic stock, 1 w/ Folding Butler Creek protector, factory. Wasn't pleased with any of them, to be honest. They'd do the trick, but all possessed the rough chamber syndrome and the finish felt much cheaper than any Mossberg finish I've owned. Did like the action.
1975 Remington 870 Wingmaster, 2 3/4" only, turned "tacticool". Sold long barrel and furniture to a good home, added Hogue Tamer pistol grip and forend, Tacstar sidesaddle, Remington replacement barrel 18.5 and Choate 2 rnd extension. Sturdier than an Abrams tank, very smoothe action, lovely feel overall,...except it jammed. It locked up solid. Sold it. Coulda been fixed with TLC. I've never had a Mossberg lock up on me. If the price was nice, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another of these.
Winchester :
1300 Defender, 18.5" w/ wood stock and ribbed forend. 5+1 capacity. Loved it, but...action is definitely an acquired taste. Some clal the 1300 "glassy", personally if you're used to an 870 and especially a Mossberg, you'll find the action a bit...tough to get used to. Very reliable, highly pointable and good gun overall.
1300 Defender, 18.5" black matte 7+1 capacity. My ideal shotgun. No complaints or anything I'd change except adding a few accessories and the fact I wish I could add a metal trigger assembly and that the disassembly takes some getting used to.
Mossberg
Mossberg 500, pgo cruiser. Parkerized w/ mossberg pistol grip kit. Gun was terribly reliable and built like a tank. However, the Mossberg brand pgo kit is a piece of feces and the hard-as-a-rock feel will turn your hand into mush in seconds flat, even with birdshot! The ergonomics of it, as far as pistol grips go, is nice, because it allows you to use your thumb to activate the slide release. Others make that harder. Great gun, terrible grip.
Mossberg 590 security, 20" barrel, heat shield, 8+1 capacity. Owned 2. Hated them at first. They have a habit of having the mag tube spring bind up, for one reason or another. This is an easy fix, which I didn't know at the time. Replace that spring and you will have a beast of gun. Went bang each and every time. I could drain all 9 shots in around 4-5 seconds tops. Not a single jam/feed issue after mag spring was replaced. They get smoother with use. Would buy and own again, even in the "cheap" blued and plastic tirgger guard/safety button setup. Fantastic gun and offers insane firepower as far as shotguns go. I am 6'1" and around 290 pounds with hands like a basketball player and I feel the 20" 9 shot setup as it comes factory (re: without reduced LOP/"youth" stock) is beyond the comfort dimensions of smaller indvidiuals.
Mossberg 590 special purpose w/ Ghost rings and matte finish, 20" barrel. Same as above, except I didn't care for the ghost rings and I prefer a heat shield due to my reload methods.
Mossberg 500 Mariner, 20", 7+1. Apparently a discontinued model now. In some ways, my favorite Mossberg I've owned. Sturdy as hell, smoothest action I've had in a Mossberg, zero issues. Seemed to point and handle faster than my 590 special purpose Mariner discussed below. Needed funds and sold. Would buy in a hot second again if the price was right.
Mossberg 590 Mariner, 20" barrel, same as the above 590's except the finish and action were better. I believe the Marinecote really improves the action. If I don't get one of these or another 1300 as my next pump shotgun, it'll be a 590a1 Mariner 6-shot and I'll add an extension.
Mossberg 500 ATP, 18.5" heavy (I think) barrel, 5+1 capacity, rifle sights, old style flat stain wood stock and forend. Made the most beastly rack sound I've ever heard. Literally a Chik-CHAK every time. I believe due to the wood. Great gun all around, not my favorite Mossberg I've had but would trust my life to one provided it'd been gone over carefully and kept up. Age and use is a factor with these guns. I believe it was some kind of South American milcontract gun or something. Regret selling, in a way.
Mossberg 590a1, 8 shot (thanks MAX100 for the great product), heavy barrel and mtl trigger assembly and safety button, 3 dot Glock sights. Um...the last word in a combat pump, in my opinion. Never selling. Only mod coming is a Mesa Tactical 6 rd sidesaddle and a replacement heavy barrel w/ bead sight as I prefer bead to any sight on a shotgun. May change out the Speedfeed set for a Riot Wood set.
Mossberg 500, 18.5", 5+1 with pistol grip Hogue Tamer set. My house gun. Rests against the wall next to my bed, almost out of sight, 5 in the tube "cruiser ready". Dead reliable and brutally fast due to the fact it's been well used and maintained, i.e. "smoothened out". I can empty a tube of standard power 2 3/4" 00 buck fairly accurately at 15 yards (within reason, it IS a PGO) in 3-4 seconds tops. Zero malfunctions, although my old style 6 3/4" forend is rubbing/contacting the barrel slightly. Only mods are a Tacstar sidesaddle, Mossberg brand heatshield, switching out the forend for the new longer style and adding a quality green laser at some point.
all in all, I'm surprised I'm not burn out on shotguns, pump especially. I attribute this to the old adage "you go with what you know". If I'd grown up shooting rifles, maybe I'd be an AR guy. I will say though, I am really wanting a nickel Stoeger sxs...
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